The invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing pills comprising at least one pill package and a dispenser.
The patent literature includes a great many publications relating to pocket dispensers with pill packages. Examples thereof are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,667,845; 3,651,927; EP-A-0 807 589; FR-A-2 538 791; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,409,132; 4,015,717.
Such an apparatus comprising a pocket dispenser and pill package is also known from international patent application WO 97/08078 of applicant. In this prior art apparatus, the means for the stepwise rotatable positioning of the pill package in the form of a blister pack are mounted on both parts of the dispenser, whilst the blister pack is in non-rotatable engagement with one of said parts, as a result of which it is carried along upon rotation thereof.
The object of the invention is to further improve the known apparatus.
In order to accomplish that objective, the invention provides an apparatus for dispensing pills comprising at least one ring-shaped pill package, in which cavities containing pills are so distributed that the openings of the cavities therein are directed outwardly, as well as a flat pocket dispenser comprising a first part for receiving the pill package in a ring shape, a second part fitting on said first part, which envelops the pill package together with the first part, which first part and/or which second part comprise(s) at least one passage opening with which a pill to be dispensed can be aligned, and a push-out means, which can be positioned in line with the respective pills in the pill package and with the passage opening and which can be operated for pushing out the pill to be dispensed through the passage opening, wherein means are provided for rotatably positioning the pill package stepwise relative to the part of the apparatus including the push-out means, characterized in that the pill package itself and the part of the dispenser that includes the push-out means comprise means for the stepwise positioning of the pill package.
By mounting the means for the stepwise positioning of the pill package directly on the pill package itself, one source of inaccuracies in the positioning of the pill package relative to the push-out means is eliminated. The fact is that it has become apparent that it is very important that the cavity containing the pill to be dispensed be accurately positioned in line with the push-out means in order to ensure that the pill is ejected from the cavity and, in cases where a blister pack is used as the pill package, through the covering foil in a reliable manner. This plays a role in particular when the dimensions of the apparatus are to be reduced. The small dimensions impose restrictions on the stroke of the push-out means, the ejection force, the blister size and the like.
In order to achieve a further enhancement of the accuracy, said means are fitted with a biassing element, which eliminates the play in said means that are imposed by the production process to one side.
In one possible embodiment, said means comprise teeth formed on the respective part of the dispenser and a spring tooth formed on the pill package, wherein the biassing element preferably comprises a second tooth which is spaced from the former tooth in circumferential direction by a distance which slightly deviates from (a multiple of) the pitch of the teeth on the dispenser.
When said means and said biassing element are formed on the pill package, they can be used not only for positioning the pill package in the dispenser, but also, in the case of a holder containing a blister pack, for positioning the blister pack correctly relative to the holder during production.
In order to further improve the ejection performance of the push-out means, the outwardly extending free end of said push-out means is bevelled, such that each cavity is loaded off-centre upon ejection of a pill.
Surprisingly, it has become apparent that when the cavity of a blister pack is loaded in this manner, the pill can be ejected from the cavity in a controlled manner, without peaks in the development of force which might have a negative influence on the ejection movement. Furthermore, the average ejection force will remain low.
According to another aspect of the invention, the push-out means can be operated by means of the operating element, wherein the push-out means and the operating element are in one piece, albeit in the form of two parts interconnected by a film joint, whilst the part of the dispenser that supports the operating element includes means for imposing the pivoting movement.
When such a push-out means and such an operating element are used, both the movement of the operating element and that of the push-out means can be selected at will without any additional parts being required.
Another advantageous aspect of the invention is the fact that the blister pack may be provided with means, which may for example be visible through the passage opening, for providing an indication as to the contents of the cavity in the blister pack that is positioned in line with the passage opening. Said means may for example consist of a colour code, which indicates whether or not, in the case of an anti-conception pill, the omission to take a pill involves a risk of conception.